VALLEY CITY, N.D. – Valley City State found the end zone twice in the second half, but an early deficit proved too much to overcome as the Vikings closed their 2026 football season with a 45–14 loss to No. 5 Montana Tech Saturday at Lokken Stadium.
The Vikings honored their seniors before kickoff on an afternoon that also featured Military Appreciation recognition. VCSU finishes the season 2–8 overall and 1–5 in Frontier Conference play.
Montana Tech took control with 21 first-quarter points and carried a 31–0 lead into halftime. The Orediggers finished with 456 yards of offense, including 310 on the ground.
VCSU put together its first scoring drive late in the third quarter. Brayden Medeiros connected with Jeffrey Yoder for a 6-yard touchdown with 2:16 remaining, finishing an 18-play, 93-yard possession. The Vikings added another score in the fourth when Medeiros found Nick Mears for a 52-yard touchdown with 7:06 left.
Medeiros completed 21 of 39 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Exavian Westbrook led the Vikings with 78 receiving yards on seven catches, while Jake Deutsch caught nine passes for 71 yards. Mears added two receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown.
Gavin Gerhardt paced the defense with 11 tackles, including eight solo stops. Aiden Russell and Solomon Harris each recorded 10 tackles, while James Dahn, Caleb Torke and Lorenzo Luchi added seven apiece.
Saturday's finale capped a season in which five of VCSU's eight losses came by seven points or fewer. The Vikings earned a 28–25 victory over Dickinson State in the Ag Bowl and added a 35–21 win over Montana State-Northern in their November White Out game.
The Northern victory provided a late-season highlight as Jonathan Hunter rushed for 113 yards and Medeiros threw three touchdown passes. A fourth-down stop by Craig Merritt Jr. and Oliver Melin helped set up Hunter's touchdown run that put the game out of reach.
The Vikings closed the year on their home field, recognizing the senior class and its contributions to the VCSU football program.
